# free

/ˈfɹi/ (US) · /fɹˈiː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/free
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. no cost

adjective · CEFR A1

costing nothing; you do not have to pay money for it.

For teachers: obtainable without any payment or financial consideration.

- The museum is free for students on Tuesday afternoons.
- The software is available as a free download, though users must pay a subscription fee to access the premium cloud-storage features.

### 2. not busy

adjective · CEFR A1

not busy or not being used by someone else.

For teachers: not occupied by previous engagements or currently available for use.

- Are you free for a quick coffee after work today?
- If the conference room is free at three o'clock, we should hold the briefing there to ensure everyone has enough space.

### 3. independent

adjective · CEFR A2

not controlled by a government or another person; having the power to do what you want.

For teachers: enjoying personal liberty; not subject to the control or domination of another.

- After years of rules, she finally felt free to live her own life.
- The citizens fought for decades to establish a free and independent press that could hold the government accountable without fear of reprisal.

### 4. without something

adjective · CEFR B1

not containing something, especially something bad or unwanted.

For teachers: devoid of a specified substance or quality; often used in compound adjectives.

- This bread is gluten-free and safe for people with allergies.
- The architect designed a barrier-free environment to ensure that the entire campus remained accessible to students with limited mobility.

Usage: Often follows the noun it describes, connected by a hyphen, as in 'sugar-free'.

### 5. to release

verb · CEFR B1

to let someone or something out of a place where they were kept.

For teachers: to release from captivity, confinement, or a difficult physical position.

- They worked together to free the deer that was stuck in the fence.
- The rescue team managed to free the trapped hikers just as the storm began to intensify, preventing a much more serious medical emergency.

Usage: Takes a direct object; often used with 'from'.

### 6. computing

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to give back memory or space to a computer system so it can be used again.

For teachers: to deallocate or relinquish previously assigned memory or resources back to the operating system.

- You need to free up some space on your hard drive before installing the update.
- The application failed to free the allocated memory upon closing, leading to a significant system slowdown over several hours of use.

### 7. without paying

adverb · CEFR B1

without having to pay any money.

For teachers: without charge or cost; used adverbially.

- Children under the age of five can travel free on all city buses.
- The promotional offer allows new subscribers to stream the first three episodes free before committing to a monthly plan.

Usage: Usually placed at the end of a clause.

### 8. sport

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a chance to kick or throw the ball without the other team stopping you, usually after a foul.

For teachers: a free kick or free throw awarded to a team following an infringement by the opposition.

- The referee gave us a free right outside the penalty area.
- The captain stepped up to take the free, curling the ball expertly around the defensive wall and into the top corner of the net.

Teaching tip: Commonly used in sports like football (soccer) or Australian rules football.

## Examples

- The museum is free on Sundays.
- I have some free time this afternoon if you want to discuss the new project.
- The newly established government promised to maintain a free press and ensure that every citizen had the right to express their opinions without fear of censorship.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.